This is a superb book about a fascinating period in the history of Art. The Northern Renaissance is fascinating because it is, in a sense, more "humanThis is a superb book about a fascinating period in the history of Art. The Northern Renaissance is fascinating because it is, in a sense, more "human". The Italian Renaissance is intellectual and glows with the warmth of the Mediterranean sun and the Classical World. North European Art captures the cold and the damp and the pity that is humanity. I love the work of these artists - they speak to me across the years....more

I am very disappointed with this book which claims to be a World History of Art but is, in fact, just a slightly tarted up standard history of WesternI am very disappointed with this book which claims to be a World History of Art but is, in fact, just a slightly tarted up standard history of Western European Art. It acknowledges the art of non-European cultures in short chapters but completely ignores the art of Eastern Europe - or even the existence of that part of the continent altogether. It sticks to traditional periods of history and Art movements without looking at substratas within those movements (Historicism, for example, is barely covered under Romanticism and so its link to the 19th Century growth of Nationalism is completely missed). There is barely any glance at the growth of Industrialism, or the impact of Colonialism and the development of Art (apart from a few politically-correct comments) or of the impact of the First World War on European Art. Everything is main stream - exactly what I would have expected to find in a book written decades ago! This is just not acceptable in this day-and-age.The overall presentation is also poor so that it is difficult to actually locate specific themes and topics, within a historical period, easily. I have a copy of the MacMillan Encyclopaedia of Art which, whilst not claiming to be some great academic work, does a much better job in accessibility. My Mitchell Beasley History and Culture volumes are more thorough.Very disappointing. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone....more

This is a superb and knowledgeable coffee-table book full of glorious photos and solid information. It was a catalogue for an exhibition held in the SThis is a superb and knowledgeable coffee-table book full of glorious photos and solid information. It was a catalogue for an exhibition held in the States....more

It is not often that I read an art book from cover to cover. I tend to use them more as reference books which I dip into - over the years I will haveIt is not often that I read an art book from cover to cover. I tend to use them more as reference books which I dip into - over the years I will have read there right through, some sections more than once, others less thoroughly as I scan them, looking for something specific. Art books can be quite tedious with their inevitable lists of artists, works, architects and buildings with brief descriptions... almost monotonous. This book is one of those rare exceptions that is not only informative and educational but also quite illuminating and often fascinating. It had me gripped from the very beginning when Da Costa Kaufmann explains the differences in the ways that the Italian Renaissance impacted on Eastern and Central Europe. In Russia, for example, it played a more restricted role due to the special mission the Russians saw themselves as having as preservers of the Orthodox faith, and all the prohibitions that accompanied it, with a rejection of the Latin "deviation". Architecture played a greater role in transmitting Renaissance ideas from Italy, but even here the Italians were forced to work to Russian traditional forms (as on the Kremlin) and the desire to imitate, even exceed Byzantium, meant that the Italian impact was muted. It is no coincidence that Russian ideas had to change before she could play a more active role in Europe.In Central Europe, on the other hand, with its greater religious, cultural and political links with Italy the impact was much greater. The multi-ethnic states of Poland and the Habsburgs had an international art which served and drew on the talents of many regions, and Italians and Germans worked side-by-side and we see the dissemination of Renaissance ideas through foreign patronage.Whilst the influence of the courts was great, the economic wealth of the Hansa encouraged the creation of art outside the court, especially in public buildings (and especially, churches) and we see the development of a "civic" expression of status and wealth. Kaufmann gives us a fascinating history of the development of this art, especially in the German and Bohemian lands and points out that whilst there is a tendency to see the Renaissance in Germany as an ethnic expression produced by ethnic Germans, the Renaissance is characterised by the production of hybrid styles which merge the Italianate with traditional local forms.Kaufmann also gives us a super explanation of the impact of the Reformation on Church art. Initially the reformists questioned the place of images in the Church but it wasn't long before a form of Protestant iconography arose (partly in response to the radicalism of the iconoclasts) centred on themes such as the Last Supper and epitaphs. In church architecture we see the creation of an open space and the prominence of the pulpit. As Kaufmann progress through his history he covers a number of fascinating and interesting topics. I was particularly interested in his explanation of the growth of specialist collections (Wunderkammer) where works of man-made art would be displayed alongside works of nature. Some natural objects (ostrich eggs or tusks) would be incorporated into man-made elements as if to complete them, or collaged in mosaics (pietra dure). These collections often also included scientific instruments. These "encyclopaedic" collections reflected the world in microcosm, and through organisation could give understanding of the macrocosm. Art was thus linked to the Renaissance view of the world; the four seasons corresponding to the four humours of Man and, in turn, to the four elements. Often, in the rooms where these collections were stored, there would be depictions of the elements or the seasons, or months of the year, on ceilings or panels (behind which relevant artefacts would be stored). Thus a ruler displayed not only his wealth but also his mastery of his world. This was an era of collecting which led to patronage (not only of artists but also scholars and scientists).Kaufman goes on to look at the impact of the Thirty Years War and points out that not all of Central Europe was involved; Poland saw a golden age of architecture, and even in Germany and Bohemia there were important developments taking place, especially in literature and music, which laid the foundations for the work of the later C17th and early C18th. This was a period of artistic growth for Dresden and Augsburg, whilst Prague and other cities declined, and some Germans, such as Elsheimer, Holler and Kneller, worked abroad (Italy had a particular attraction) and had much impact on art where they practised. In Poland, art and architecture was used as a way of unifying the various and diverse ethnic elements after the Union of Lublin. In Bohemia we see the building of the ground-breaking Wallenstein Palace which was to have huge impact on later developments, especially in Austria. It can almost be argued that it was here that the Baroque grew up; size and grandeur became a metaphor for power.I found Kaufmann's description of the developments in the post-war era particularly illuminating. In this victorious era for the Catholics, religious sculptures made a huge revival and were heavily influenced by Spanish works. Elaborate rituals and dramatic sermons, designed to move their audiences, had their visual counterparts, especially in Southern Germany and Austria. Sculptures of saints often interact with a central painting in a piece of theatre and can be compared to Bernini's work. During the Thirty Years War the Habsburgs had moved their court from Prague to Vienna and a style was developed which resembled the Baroque of Rome and Bologna but, where once it had served the Church, it now served the nobility - it was an architecture of triumph. The second decade of the C18th saw a boom in Church architecture in S Germany and the introduction of the Rococo style. It is more commonly seen in Bavaria which had strong links with France (where the style originated) and was imported by French gardeners and French-trained architects. The clergy seems to have competed with their secular counterparts in the splendour of their projects. In the typical interior everything (painting, sculpture, stucco and architecture) is fused into a whole. We also see a fusion of French and Italian elements (trompe d'oeil alongside rocaille). The joy of religion, of beauty as an expression of the divine, is what is intended to be communicated, and its apogee is to be seen in the Wurzburg Residenz and the work of Balthazar Neumann.In the latter half of the C18th most Central European states were autocracies looking towards France and England for inspiration. State control of the arts, with the aim of independence from foreign influences, and improving quality, led to the setting up of academies. There is a plethora of styles and an interest in Chinoiserie (which grows out of the Enlightenment literary motif where exotic visitors are used to expose weaknesses in Western systems). The Neoclassical style becomes the public face of the enlightened ruler as a country gentleman, the Neo-Gothic is his more private face.There are times where Kaufman managed to lose me but overall he gives a very clear and illuminating account describing the evolution of art and architecture in this part of Europe. The book is weaker when dealing with painting in depth (as with most art books). Quite detailed attempts to describe composition, vibrant painterly activity and the use of colour are actually wasted on us since there are no large-scale colour illustrations of the many works described and, anyway, this style of writing is more suited to film or television documentary.The book ends with the disappearance of two of its main protagonists; the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth disappears in the Partitions, and the Holy Roman Empire is dissolved after the Revolutionary Wars (1806). The German states became secularised and separated from Austria, and the Free Cities disappeared. The loss of the huge diversity of states impacted on the variety of cultural activity - the new states had more centripetal tendencies. The disappearance of multi-ethnic states and a society in which foreign artists moved about freely was replaced by more nationalist ones with very specific (ethnic) agendas.It is not difficult to see parallels with the world of today; the apparent internationalism and freedom of movement provided by the European Union is belied by a distrust of multiculturalism and the growth of nationalistic trends....more

I find Northern Renaissance and Late Gothic art quite exciting. Somehow the artists of the North, especially the Germans, seen to be able to communicaI find Northern Renaissance and Late Gothic art quite exciting. Somehow the artists of the North, especially the Germans, seen to be able to communicate the dignity and tragedy of being human better than the Italians. It could be the weather... that having to live with the winds and the cloud and the rain as well as the sun... and, of course, the hard winters. Baxandall is a tremendous art historian and he excels himself in this superlative study of the sculptors of Northern Europe....more